


Tangled: A Rewritten Fairy Tale

by red_lilies04



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Angst, Ba Sing Se, Badgermoles, Earth Kingdom (Avatar), Fluff and Humor, Inspired by Tangled (2010), M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Wuko, i suck at summaries oml
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:54:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26664028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/red_lilies04/pseuds/red_lilies04
Summary: Prince Wu, kidnapped by his aunt when he was a baby, has been locked away in a tower for his entire life. By his eighteenth birthday, he has grown curious about the world outside of his tower, and through an unlikely encounter, asks a thief by the name of Mako to help him escape.(inspired by the movie Tangled and some posts on tumblr about Wuko fairy tale AU's!)
Relationships: Mako/Prince Wu (Avatar)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 41
Collections: wuko fics for the soul <3





	Tangled: A Rewritten Fairy Tale

**Author's Note:**

> i'm not the best writer anymore, especially at fanfiction, but after seeing some posts about wuko headcanons based on Tangled i was inspired to write something!! most of these posts i seen were by @ falling-chandeliers on tumblr :) there's probably some more writing based on this AU too out there!
> 
> so a lot of the dialogue is taken directly from the movie's script for the sake of keeping the plot lined up with the movie, but there's a couple of changes as of this chapter. basically the premise is that Wu was kidnapped by Hou-Ting and was locked in a tower located in the Foggy Bottom Swamp. instead of him having magical hair he has magical healing blood lol
> 
> Mako is a thief from the Earth Kingdom and teamed up with the Triple Threats to provide for himself and Bolin. He stole the crown from Ba Sing Se and ended up in Wu's tower. Pabu also helps him on his endeavors. Korra isn't really in this chapter but her and Naga work as Earth Kingdom palace guards, and Asami will probably be in the next chapter in the pub scene lol 
> 
> i hope you like this first chapter! i'm trying to split the plot so there's probably going to be 2 more chapters after this :) i'm not sure when they will be published since school is currently eating up most of my time but hopefully by next week. 
> 
> please let me know how i can improve since i'm not the best writer and this is my first work for LOK!

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom, ruled by a beloved king and queen. The Earth Kingdom loved them, and all were ecstatic to hear that soon they will have a baby. Until the queen grew ill, running out of time. The people of the Earth Kingdom were praying each day for a miracle.

Legend said that a magical flower grew deep in the swamp, rumored to have powers of healing, grown from the earth by a single droplet of the sun. The king ordered the guards to search for this flower, as a last hope for his wife’s survival. After days of and days of searching, the miracle was found.

Its magic healed the queen, and soon a healthy prince was born. The family soon found out his blood had the same powers the flower did, he was able to heal himself and others. To celebrate, the royal family released a flying lantern in the sky. 

However, not everyone in the family was grateful for the prince’s birth. The prince’s great aunt, called Queen Hou-Ting by some, envied the fact that he was next in line for the throne. She felt overshadowed, forgotten. 

One night, while the king and queen were sleeping, she snuck into the palace and abducted her nephew. She ran away with him to an abandoned tower in the middle of a mysterious swamp, where no one could find them. She used the prince’s gift to her advantage, keeping herself young and beautiful, so that no one was able to recognize her.

The kingdom searched and searched for the lost prince. The king and queen were devastated, the hope they worked so hard to find withered, their child was gone. They continued to release golden lanterns on his birthday, hoping someday their child will come home. 

_________________

A woman with sleek silver hair and minimum wrinkles wrapped a bandage around her child’s finger, sighing happily as the last of the creases on her hands faded and her gray strands of hairs returned to ebony. 

"Why can’t I go outside?” the young boy's eyes lit up at the sight of thousands of golden lights, the only source of light at this hour, floating in the distance far away from the view of the isolated castle.

“The outside world is a dangerous place. Filled with horrible, selfish people. You must stay here, where you’re safe with me. Do you understand, my flower?” She lovingly stroked the dark curls of the child’s hair. 

“Yes, Auntie.”

_________________

Under the earth of the tower in pitch darkness, a boy with dark skin and wavy brown hair covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking. He couldn’t stop giggling; this was his best hiding spot yet! There’s no way they’ll ever find him-!

Before Wu could celebrate too much, a cold, soft tongue stroked the side of his face, “Guess you found me, big guy, you’re nine for ten,” Wu laughed and patted the badgermole’s head, as the create sniffed his dusty hair. Despite their blindness, their sense of smell and hearing was astounding to the young boy. From his pocket he took out a small lamp, a soft hue of yellow brightening the cave. 

“I think it’s time I go back, buddy,” Wu rested his forehead against the badgermole’s thick brown fur, grinning. The large creature huffed and nuzzled against him. “Don’t worry,” Wu laughed, “I’ll play with you again later tonight, just before the big day! I can sing to you too …”

The blind creature licked Wu’s cheek one last time before returning into the tunnel. With the light of the lamp, Wu made his way upstairs to his room, the walls enriched with his colorful paintings from over the years. 

"Okay, this is it," Wu admired himself in the mirror, straightening his posture and combing his fingers through his hair, removing the dust from his curls, "I'm going to do it, I'm going to ask her!" 

From below the tower Wu heard his aunt's call, "Wu! Open the tower dear!" 

"Coming, Auntie!" he shouted before reaching to pull the lever in his room. He held his breath for a moment than exhaled, “here it goes.”

Once Hou-Ting made it upstairs Wu's eyes lit up, "Welcome home, Auntie," 

"Oh darling, I'm sorry I was gone for so long," she cupped his cheeks and laughed. "Any new paintings? Songs?" 

"Yeah ... I started a new one earlier this morning,” Wu shook his head, getting back on track, “anyways, as you know, tomorrow is a big day..." 

"Wu, look in the mirror," she turned her nephew to face himself in the ornate mirror, decorated by small engravings of badgermoles, "You know what I see? I see a strong, confident, beautiful young individual,” Wu smiled. “Oh, look you're here too!" she laughed as Wu groaned and rolled his eyes, "I'm just teasing sweetheart." 

"All right, so, as you know, tomorrow is a big day," Wu repeated himself. getting back to the subject. 

"Darling, auntie's feeling a little tired, sing for me dear? Then we can talk," she sat herself and Wu down on the stools, setting her hands on top of his.

“Oh! Of course, auntie,” breathing in, “Flowergleamandglowletyourpowershine,” Wu sung quickly, growing restless and impatient.

“Wu!” Hou-Ting yelped. 

“Okay!” Wu shot back up, “As I was saying, tomorrow is a pretty big day. It’s my birthday!” he eagerly announced.

“No, no, no, it’s cannot be,” Hou-Ting smiled yet shook her head, her thing eyebrows furrowing together, “I remember, your birthday was last year!”

“That’s the funny thing about birthdays!” Wu laughed, “They’re kind of an annual … thing,” he breathed back in quietly and went over what he rehearsed in his mirror and to the badgermole throughout the day.

“Auntie, I’m turning eighteen,” he closed his hands together, remembering to straighten his posture as he made eye contact with his aunt. Over the years of conversing with the badgermoles underneath the tower, Wu has grown a talent for public speaking, at least in his opinion. “And I wanted to ask, what I really want for this birthday,” his voice grew quieter, losing confidence, “And, really, what I want for every birthday …”

“Wu, please, stop with the mumbling,” Hou-Ting lectured, “You know how I feel about the mumbling,” despite her stern tone, she kept on a smile. “But I’m just teasing, you’re adorable and I love you so much, darling.”

“I want to see the floating lights,” Wu blurted then exhaled, glad he finally got to the point. 

“Oh,” Hou-Ting breathed out, “you mean the stars, right?”

Wu shook his head, “No, stars are always constant, auntie,” he explained, feeling more confident in convincing his aunt, “But these, they appear every year on my birthday. Only on my birthday. It’s like … they’re meant for me, I feel.” 

Wu pointed to his new work, a painting based on his memories of the lights from previous years, “I need to see them, auntie. And not just from my window, I have to know what they are.” Wu couldn’t keep himself from smiling as he thought how much more beautiful the lights would be up close, how bad he wanted his dream to finally come true, how badly he wanted to see what was outside of this tower.

After hearing Wu’s request his aunt paused for moment, “You want to go outside? Leave?” laughing, Hou-Ting stood up and made eye contact with Wu, who was suddenly feeling small, “Oh, why, Wu, look at you, you’re fragile as a flower. You know why we stay up here,” she reminded him, her hands playing with his curls.

His smile fell, “I know, but …” he looked at feet, disappointed that this wasn’t going as he hoped. 

“To keep you safe, my dear,” she continued softly, “I always knew you would want to leave the nest soon, but not yet.”

“But …” Wu wished he planned this out better.

“Shh, trust me Wu,” she shushed, embracing her nephew, “Auntie knows best. It’s a scary world out there and I understand your curiosity but it’s safe up here. There are bad people out there, and you’re still a scrawny, young boy. You won’t survive on your own.” Wu knew that was just a nice way of saying that he’s weak. 

He frowned, maybe he just needs to try again next year, “You’re safe here with me. I have just one request, Wu.” He glanced back up to face his aunt.Hou-Ting kept her hands around Wu’s, squeezing them tightly. Frowning for the first time since she got home, “Don’t ever ask to leave this tower again,” she told Wu.

“Yes, auntie,” Wu kept his head down, even as his aunt kissed his cheek.

“Ahh, I love you very much, dear.”

“I love you more.”

“I love you most, I’ll see you in a bit, my flower,” she hugged Wu one last time before departing downstairs.

_________________

From the capital of Ba Sing Se, in the distance, four men sprinted through the thick forest. The trees were posted with several wanted posters, the sketches resembling the group (well, somewhat). 

"Hey kid, you still got the crown?" a tall man cloaked in long blue coat with a goatee turned to the youngest of the thieves, a tall boy with spiky black hair and amber eyes. 

"Yeah, I got it."

"Good, now hand it over." he smirked, eyes locked on the sachet. 

"Ouch, after all this time you still don't trust me?” the boy grimaced, now holding onto the bag tighter, climbing up the craggy hill with no trouble. 

"At least help us up, pretty boy,” a shorter man with a small mustache glared up at him, holding up his arms. 

"Sorry, my hands are full," he shrugged before sprinting away from the group with the sachet.

"What?! MAKO, get back here or you're dead!" After struggling to get up the hill, the men sprinted after the thief.

However, the boy of the name Mako easily fled the triads. In his pouch a small fire ferret poked his head out. "Great work stealing that crown at the castle, Pabu! I owe you one, " he turned his head, grinning. 

Realizing he didn't pay much attention to his surroundings and was now lost, Mako looked over his shoulder for any sign of the triads. Knowing them, they probably gave up and went back to the city.

"Looks like we lost them. now we just need to find a way home to Bolin, Pabu." Pabu squeaked and buried his head back into the bag, grasping onto the crown with his claws.  
Mako navigated through the vast swamp he was now in, until he was saw a tall, mossy tower in the distance, in front of a loud waterfall. "Guess we can camp out there for now," he said, and made his way to what he thought was a deserted tower. 

After searching the worn concrete for a possible entrance, he pushed down the hidden lever and let himself into the tower. As he ventured upstairs, he admired the various paintings scattered on the walls, filled with symbols of the Earth Kingdom and what he thinks are badgermoles. Whoever lived here before sure was talented.

Once Mako reached the first floor, he relaxed his muscles and sighed in relief, setting the sachet down on a wooden chair nearby. “Ah, alone at last,” he happily exhaled, before being knocked out by a hard-frying pan made of pure steel. 

_________________

“Okay, okay. There’s man in my closet,” after several attempts of shoving the tall unconscious person into the closet, Wu paced back and forth. “I got a man in my closet. I got a man in my closet!” Wu laughed, puffing himself up, “Too weak, huh auntie?” he twirled his pan around.

Just as Wu’s rush of adrenaline went down, the sachet started to move. Wu stepped back before seeing that a small fire ferret was in the worn bag, chewing on … a crown?

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry little guy! I didn’t notice you were in there!” Wu whispered, holding his hand out so that the creature could smell him. The ferret licked the paint dried to the skin of Wu’s fingers. “I’m guessing you’re with that guy,” Wu narrowed his eyes over to the closet, shuddering, “I trust you though, you’re cute.” He gently petted his new friend’s red fur, “I just can’t let my aunt notice you, she’s allergic to animal fur. You can hang out with the badgermoles in the tunnels though!” 

Wu glanced down at the crown, the sunlight reflecting against its jade and emerald stones. The man must have gotten it from the Earth Kingdom. In another scenario Wu would probably try it on, but he was absolutely captivated by its beauty.

"Wu! Open the tower! I’m not getting any younger down here!" 

Wu was startled by his aunt's early arrival, "One moment, auntie!" he motioned the fire ferret back into the bag, returning the crown back and hiding it under the chair before stumbling to pull down the lever on the wall. 

"I have a surprise for you!" 

"Uh, I do too!" Wu shouted back, smirking proudly when he looked at the closet. 

Once Hou-Ting was inside, she held out a brown paper bag, "I can make hazel nut soup for dinner, surprise!" 

"Aw, thank you!" She always knew what Wu wanted, "well, there's something I want to tell you too," Wu announced. 

"Oh Wu, you know I hate leaving you after a fight, especially when I've done nothing but love you," she set the brown bag down before sneezing.

Wu stopped, “You okay?” he asked when he noticed his aunt’s eyes were red and watering. 

“Yes, dear … I’m -!” she sneezed again, loudly, “continue what you were saying.” 

"Okay, but I've been thinking a lot about what you said earlier." Wu continued, inching closer to the closet, hand resting on the rusty handle. 

"I hope you're not talking about the stars," she groaned, blowing into a handkerchief. 

"Before you say anything else, yes, I'm leading up to that."

"Because I really thought we dropped this issue, sweetheart," she pointed out, looking at Wu sadly, not wanting to start another fight. 

"But if you just-!" 

"Wu, we're done talking about this." 

"But trust me, I-!" 

"Wu." 

"Know what I'm-" 

"Wu-!" 

"Oh, come on," Wu's patience was running thin, and he was sure his aunt's was too, “Can you at least hear me out?” 

"No, I will not,” Hou-Ting set the handkerchief down before standing up, “You have no other life, Wu! You are not LEAVING this tower!" She shouted; her face hot with anger. It was rare for her to get this angry. 

Wu looked away sadly, his throat tightening. Reading Wu like a book, Hou-Ting rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Oh, great. Now I'm the bad guy." 

There was a tense moment of silence, before Wu changed the subject, "All I was going to say, auntie, was that ... I know what I want for my birthday." 

"And what is that?" his aunt rested her palm against her temple, clearly exhausted. 

"New paints?" Wu quietly asked, "and maybe some canvases? I'm running out of room on the walls, and I really liked those paints made from the white shells … " 

Hou-Ting sighed, "Well, it would be a long trip, Wu. I would be gone for the entire day. Maybe through tomorrow." 

"I just thought it would be a better idea than the ... stars," Wu chose his next words carefully, wanting to relieve at least some of his aunt’s anger. For how he acted for moments outside of this, he was surprised that she didn’t get mad at him more often. 

"You'll be all right on your own? You’ll be alone on your birthday ..." 

"I know I'm safe, as long as I'm here," Wu assured, putting on a small smile to convince her. 

The rest of the day, Wu helped Hou-Ting prepare for her trip, but also kept an eye on the closet in case the man would regain consciousness. (However, judging by how hard Wu hit him, he won’t be waking up anytime soon.)

"I'll be back in a day. I love you very much, dear." 

"I love you more." 

"I love you most."

Letting out a long exhale, Wu opened the sachet, the fire ferret happily squeaking and nudging against his palm. The tension left Wu’s shoulders as the creature licked his palm. “I’m sorry you were left in there for so long, again,” Wu chucked and scratched the fur on his chin. “Now,” turning his head to face the closet, “let’s see what this is all about.”

_________________

“What?!” when Mako finally woke up with what felt like a huge bruise on that back of his head, he found himself tied to a chair. What did he do last? He found the tower … went upstairs … oh yeah then was knocked out by a frying pan. "Where am I? What is this?" 

"Struggling is pointless," Wu stood in front of the man, who appeared to be around the same age as him, "I know why you're here, and I'm not afraid of you." 

"What?" Mako was confused, he didn’t think anyone actually lived in the tower. Guess he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, which tended to happen often. 

"Who are you?" Wu pointed the frying pan at him, "and how did you find me?" 

Mako opens his mouth, then clears his throat. "I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you, " he answered, raising his eyebrows and smiling cheekily, "but I must say, hi, name's Mako. How's it going?" 

"Who else knows my location, sir Mako?" Wu was not phased, was he trying to flirt? All those years of reading cheesy romance novels his aunt would never approve of if she read them herself aren’t helping him. 

"No one, 'your highness'," 

"Wu." 

"Okay, Wu, " Mako continued, relaxing his muscles as much as he can in the chair, "Here's the scoop, I was in a situation. Gallivanting through the forest. I came across your tower ... wait, where's my sachet?" 

"Oh, I hid it, somewhere where you'll never find it," Wu leaned closer, smirking, wanting to mess more with this Mako. 

"Okay, but did you at least look in it?" Mako asked, now worried about Pabu’s location, knowing his brother would never forgive him if something happened to the ferret, before noticing that he was now perking up on Wu's shoulder, "Uh … whatcha got there?" 

"A new friend," Wu turned his head and patted the ferret's head, beaming. He was truly an animal whisperer. 

"He has a name, Pabu," Mako pointed out, "and Pabu! Help me out here!" 

Pabu didn’t move, "Guess he's on my side now," Wu smiled, then scowling at Mako, "now, what do you want from me?" 

"Nothing!" Mako shouted, "look, all I want is my sachet, Pabu, and to get out of here and pretend this never happened." 

"Wait, you don't want anything from me?" Wu thought this thief knew about his ... ability. Judging by the expensive crown he found in his bag, he was a thief. His aunt always warned him about people wanting to kidnap him for his gift.

"No! I don't -" Mako sighed, "look, I was being chased, I saw a tower, I climbed it. End of story." 

"You're telling the truth?" Wu loosened his grip on the frying pan. 

"Yes," Mako exhaled, then narrowed his eyes at Pabu, "you can check in to see that’s okay with your best friend there." 

At that Wu turned away from Mako and whispered something to Pabu, "I think he's telling the truth, and I trust your word on it ..." Pabu nodded. He turned back to Mako, "Okay, Mako, I'll offer you a deal.”

“A deal?” Mako quirked an eyebrow.

“Look this way,” Wu pointed to a painting he showed Hou-Ting earlier, illustrating the view of the lights from his tower, “Do you know what these are?”

“You mean the lantern thing they do for the prince?” he responded, not sure where this was going.

“Lanterns …” Wu whispered to himself, his eyes lighting up, “I knew they weren’t just stars,” raising his head and making eye contact with Mako, he continued, “Well, tomorrow evening they will light the night sky. You will act as my guide. Take me to these lanterns and return me home safely. Then, and only then, will I return your satchel to you. That is my deal.”

Mako immediately shook his head, “Yeah, no can do,” he chuckled, “Unfortunately, the kingdom and I are not exactly, what’s the word … ‘simpatico’, at the moment. So, I won’t be taking you anywhere.”

Wu groaned, “Something brought you here, Mako,” he made some vague gestures with his hands, “Call it what you will, fate, destiny. So, I made the decision to trust you.”

“A horrible decision, really.”

“But trust me, when I tell you this,” Wu took a step towards Mako, “you can tear this tower apart, brick by brick, but without my help, you will never find your precious sachet,” he paused, waiting Mako’s reaction, then added, “and I get to adopt Pabu.” Pabu squeaked at the mention of his name, his paw playing with a stray thread on Wu’s jacket.

At that Mako cleared his throat, “Let me get this straight. I take you to see the lanterns. Bring you back home, and you’ll give me back my sachet and Pabu? Then I get to go home?” 

“I promise,” he nodded, then his face grew serious, “and when I promise something … I never ever break that promise. Ever.”

Staring at Wu’s expression for a minute, Mako sighed deeply, “All right listen, I didn’t want to have to do these, but you leave me no choice,” he cringed, “Here comes the ‘smolder’.”

Then Mako raised his head, his mouth gaping slightly and his eyebrows knitted together. While Wu couldn’t deny that Mako’s definition of smoldering was pretty hot, he didn’t let that sway him into letting him go that easily.

“This is kind of an off day for me … this doesn’t normally happen.” Mako mumbled, then rolled his eyes, “fine, I’ll take you to see the lanterns.”

“Really?!” Wu squealed, accidentally knocking the chair with Mako over and scaring Pabu. Mako’s face was uncomfortably pressed against the wooden planks.

“…you broke my smolder,” he muttered, “you going to let me out, pal?”

_________________

Wu couldn't make himself come down from the last step of the tower, his eyes staring blanky at the ground before him, as green as the grass before him. "Wu, come on," Mako crossed his arms, Pabu back on his shoulder, "just … " he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, "it's okay ... nothing bad is going to happen." 

"Right, okay, okay," Wu exhaled, "this is my first time ..." 

"Right, you said that already," Mako leaned against a tree, "I can't guarantee I'll still be here when you decide to come down." 

"Don't!" Wu glared at his unlikely companion, "fine, I'm going in." Wu slowly lowered his foot, his boot touching the earth, the dirt, the grass. This is what it feels like, what he’s dreamed of his entire life. This is where his life begins. 

Wu felt dizzy, "I can't believe I did this!" then the realization set itself in, "I can't believe I did this," he mumbled, eyes widening in horror. 

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID THIS!" 

"Auntie will be so furious!" 

"That's okay, what she doesn't know won't kill her, right?" 

"Oh my Raava, this will kill her." 

"THIS IS SO FUN!"

"I am a horrible person, I'm going back." 

“I am never going back!”

"I am a despicable human being. " 

"WAHOOO! Best! Day! Ever!" 

Mako continued to witness Wu spiral until he was face-down in the grass, sobbing. Mako awkwardly stood behind him, as Pabu worriedly nudges Wu's mop of hair. Mako then clears his throat, "You know, I can't help but notice, you seem a little at war with yourself, here." 

Wu lifted his head, his eyes puffy and red from tears. He sniffed, "really?" 

"The whole day," Mako closed his eyes, smiling slightly, "but let me ease your conscious, this is part of growing up. A little rebellion, a little adventure - that's good, healthy even."  
Wu lets out a croaky laugh, "You think?" 

"I know," Mako snorts, "You’re overthinking. Did your aunt deserve it? Will this break her heart and soul? Well of course, but you just got to do it." 

Wu's eyes widened in terror, "Crush her soul?" wheezed. 

"Like a grape." 

Wu's face fell, "She would be heart broken, you're right."

Mako paused, immediately regretting all his actions of the day, "All right. I can't believe I'm saying this, again, but I'm letting you out of the deal." 

"You’re what?" Wu cried.

"That's right, but don't make me," Mako turned Wu's thin shoulders, so that they're facing the tower, "Let's just turn this around, you go home, I get my sachet. You get back your relationship with your aunt and voila! We part ways as unlikely friends. Capiche?" 

"No," Wu put his foot down, wiping his nose with his sleeve, "I am seeing those lights." 

"Oh, come on!" Mako groaned loudly, "What is it going to take to get my sachet back?" 

Wu points his frying pan at Mako, "I am not afraid to use this again," squinting his emerald eyes. 

The pair was startled by a rustling from the bushes behind them. Pabu jumped from Mako’s shoulders and hissed, his red fur standing up. Wu didn’t realize he was grasping Mako’s arm in one hand, the other tightly gripping the metal handle of his only weapon.

"What is it? Ruffians? Thugs?" Wu whispered, his fingers trembling around the pan. 

Mako motioned them back when a small wood frog hopped out of the from the shrubs. The two stared at it for a moment, "Stay calm, it can probably smell fear," Mako staged whispered, possibly more afraid than Wu. 

"Oh, sorry," Wu stepped away from Mako's side, scratching the back of his head and laughing awkwardly, “just getting a bit jumpy." 

"Probably best we stay away from ruffians and thugs, though." Mako commented, also awkwardly smiling, "speaking from experience."

“Yeah, that’s probably best,” Wu bent down to reassure Pabu.

“Tell you what, are you hungry? I know a great place for lunch” Mako decided.

Wu didn’t realize how famished he was, “Really? Where?”

“Oh, don’t you worry,” Mako led Wu down a path from the forest, “You’ll know it when you smell it.”  
_________________

Hou-Ting wasn’t that far from the tower; she carefully made her way through the fog of the swamp. Head covered by a dark green cape, originated from the Earth Kingdom, her boots deep in mud, squelched against the mud. With the dark cloak and the fog surrounding, there was a rare chance of her being recognized. As long as she remained low, Wu would be safe. 

Past the fog of the swamp she made out a young woman riding a polar bear dog, covered in thick metal armor. Her eyebrows raised, "A guard ..." then caught sight of the symbol of the girl's uniform, " an Earth Kingdom palace guard ...Wu!" 

Her heart in her throat, Hou-Ting turned herself around, hurrying through the forest back to the tower. He has to still be there. Breathing heavily, she shouted above, "Wu! Open the tower, darling!" her hands fidgeting together anxiously. She waited a moment to hear Wu's sweet voice, but the tower was horribly silent. 

"Wu?" she shouted again, before rushing to find the lever hidden behind the moss. Wu’s aunt panted as she climbed upstairs and pounded against the door of his room, praying that her nephew was just sleeping and didn’t hear her. She looked around frantically, checking the beds, tearing the curtains, looking everywhere for her missing nephew.

"Wu?" she cried out, falling on the floor. Her hands ran through her hair, Hou-Ting felt like she was suffocating. Until she noticed a dull shimmer by the closet.

She crawled over, opening the hidden sachet, and pulling out an Earth Kingdom crown. Hou-Ting loudly gasped and dropped the coronet. She stared at the golden and green jewels, then withdrew a crumbled piece of paper also included in the bag. 

"WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE,” a messy sketch of a man with spiky dark hair and orange eyes, labelled “Mako”. 

Hou-Ting's eyes darkened as she opened a drawer, which included the few things she took with her from her life in Ba Sing Se. She retrieved a clearly expensive dagger, its handle carved with the Earth Kingdom symbol.


End file.
